Darwin Bistro & Bar

I don’t know why this place isn’t packed nonstop. I have been there twice — once on opening night and once about a year later. Both times were absolutely exceptional. Fantastic staff and the food was incredible quality for the price. I have raved about it to my friends more than once.
If you’re reading these reviews trying to decide whether or not to go — GO!
My partner and I have had 2 of our best dates here. I can’t wait to go again!
Oh and — get the chicken with the cheesy mashed potatoes. To DIE for! Every dish we have had is outstanding. The avocado shrimp cocktail is fantastic too.

I had a wonderful experience at Darwin! I made a last minute reservations online on a Saturday night for a table of 5 with no problem. The restaurant had a warm ambiance, with tea lights and fresh flowers in mason jars on each table. The service was excellent and our waiter was both knowledgeable and witty.
As for the food, the lamb shank was a bit under seasoned, but laid on top of a bed of fresh peppers and zucchini. The salmon was cooked perfectly, but nothing extraordinary. The most outstanding dish was the avocado shrimp cocktail. It is not your typical shrimp cocktail where cold shrimp is hanging off a cocktail cup; it is consists of seasoned grilled shrimp over an avocado salad. Absolutely delicious and original! For dessert, the apple tart was good, but it is not what you imagine when someone says apple tart. It is more like the apple tart contents were placed on top of a fluffy pastry. The winner was the chocolate banana pudding. It was warm, with molten chocolate all over it, in a small ceramic pot-​like dish. Both desserts are big enough to share between 2 people.
I would definitely go back, and from what I heard from neighboring tables, Darwin is a place they often visit as well!

The fact that I’m writing this review while still sitting at a table in Darwin should speak for itself. As like my previous experiences here, the food, drinks and service were impeccable.
We came to Darwin tonight– originally reserved for 4 but we came as 6 and they accommodated us without issue. They had a birthday party that took up half the restaurant but that didn’t stop them from giving us the golden treatment. The servers we had were beyond accommodating. They had a wine special on– $ 6 for a glass of Malbec but extended this to the 2 people at our table who chose to drink different wines. We were treated to a delicious amuse bouche– a delightful plate of deep fried goodness. Our app (we all opted for the same) — the shrimp and avocado was to die for. The mains– we had one of everything (except the duck since they were out of it). Every dish was enjoyed to the last bite.
But honestly, all of this aside, the service made the dinner for us.
Needless to say we will continue to return.

Amazing food, service and ambiance! There wasn’t a huge menu but they didn’t need one as it still had variety and everything they made was great! The service was impeccable, and they brought us out complementary appetizers. Good value for money. I’d definitely go back.

I started with the avocado shrimp cocktail. It had mangoes and coriander. The avocado and mango combination was really new and interesting. The flavour together tasted new and curious. There was a bit of pepper in the avocado which gave it a bit of a kick. The shrimp was perfectly grilled. Lightly charred, crispy on the outside, but still juicy on the inside. Hands down to perfectly cooked shrimp. There was a bit of lime juice on the shrimp which brings out the freshness. Overall, excellent dish. I was impressed.

Great food and great service is what Darwin delivers on in abundance. A bunch of friends and I visited this place last Friday and had one of our best dining experiences in a long time. The food was impeccable and the service was 5-​star amazing!
Food:
The shrimp avocado cocktail, which so many have commented on, lived up to the hype and then some. Be prepared for well seasoned shrimps cooked to perfection placed on top of a bed of creamy seasoned avocados. Yummy factor = 5 stars.
The curry mussels with fries were also done amazingly well. The curry flavours were spot on and were well infused into the mussels. The broth was so delicious that we devoured every last sip of it.
For the entrees, the majority of us ordered the steak frites and it was OMG good and priced at an unbelievable $ 25. Think high class dining but a more down-​to-​earth price. The 12 oz steak was grilled perfectly. But note that in order to truly enjoy this dish there is some assembly required. First apply a thin layer of the made-​in-​house tarter sauce that comes with the dish, then add a slice of the braised shallot, and then be prepared as your taste buds will be thanking you all night. The combination of sweet, savoury and creamy came together in the perfect bit.
For dessert we had the bread pudding, crème brûlée and lemon tart. They were all great but the lemon tart blew me away. The crust was so flaky and they managed to hit that magic ratio of sweet to tart. You must order this dessert.
Service:
I have never had better service at a restaurant! The waiter and the bar tender were like old friends and welcomed us like we were regulars. We just hit it off with them and throughout the evening we were attended to with such care and passion — they truly made us feel like VIPs.
I will definitely be back!

We went for our anniversary and booked in advance. We enquired about a tasting menu and was told it was not a problem. The price was 65 dollars for five courses. After seeing people pay 25 and 30 dollars for three courses of the exact same thing we received, we realized that we over paid by a lot. Typically with a tasting menu you get several smaller «extras» from the kitchen. Maybe things the chef is working on or something small created especially for you, but this was not the case at all. We paid 40 dollars more for only two extra courses. I felt a little cheated especially when I was told we would be trying a few things that the chef was working on.
On a bright note– the restaurant is an amazing space and wonderful atmosphere. The service was amazing. These things helped to make the night special. The food was very good. We enjoyed the soup and apps. I liked the duck more then my husband. We were served two poultry dishes which was disappointing especially when there was lamb and pork in the menu. The duck was excellent, the chicken was bland and very small. The potatoes, dispite the cheese, was nothing special.
For dessert we had the lemon tart and a small side of bread pudding. Both were nice, but not special. For a tasting menu we got some of the least expensive things on the menu, which was a disappointment.
The drinks and cocktails are fabulous! We enjoyed them very very much. However, the staff taking away half of our table during the meal was disruptive.
i dont know if back but if we do We will know next time not to pay more then the 25 or 30 dollars for the three course option.

Very personable service. Great food. Perfect lighting. The ultimate trio.

It’s a bistro, so the place is tiny. The bar has seating room for about 2 people. The décor is very classy and minimalist. Since two were already seated there, my date and I opted to sit at a table. The waitress kept interrupting our conversation to persuade usto order, and while that has happened before, I’ve never felt it was done in an annoying manner. I think she had good intentions, but mentioned she was bored, so she kept returning to our table and disrupted our conversation. Please train your wait staff! She was actually highly intrusive. They have a nice little cocktail menu, and I ordered the Orange Rum Sour. It was delicious. The bartender was extremely polite, and came over to ask how our drinks were. It’s a nice place for a date but I’m not sold.

We came here as a party of 10 for dinner and despite the place being small they actually took reservations.
I had the duck breast. It was only good but I hear from my friends that their steak frites were very good. The portion was also very generous. Not the same can be said about the duck breast though. I would try the steak frites or even the chicken next time as those were highly raved by a lot of here.
Because it was their first month in business, we also got complimentary champagne and the service was also very good and accommodating.

I’ve been to many chef tastings before they opened. They have a talented chef who does meats and fish very well. I recommend starting off with their shrimp with avocado (very good), goat cheese tart or the delicious spicy tomato soup with chorizo. With the mains, you can’t go wrong with the pork belly (tender), the aligot chicken (moist and comes with tasty cheezy mash), the lamb or even the fish (delicious eggplant purée). Make sure to ask their awesome bartender for the maple old fashioned for yourself and a darwin martini for the lady. Cannot go wrong. A very decent additon to Little Italy’s changing restaurant landscape.

This is THE place to be if you are looking for a great ambiance, amazing French influenced food, drool worthy appetizers and the most amazing drinks ever. Definitely have their martini house specials — they are to die for. Do not miss out on the avocado shrimp or the goat cheese tart appetizer, and the chicken or lamb in the main course! The décor of this place sets the right mood and don’t miss out on the video they have displayed outside (don’t know if they still have it up cuz they’ve opened now). Over all — definitely worth the visit!